SIAA’s Elite: Forwards

The 6-foot-6 forward is best defined by the thrill factor of his game: his monstrous, and wowing vertical leaping ability. The entertainment value is never in short supply with Williams, who is known to finish in authoritative fashion. His natural knack for dunking the ball and ability to convert lob passes and anything around the rim into an easy flush is what makes him a such a reliable, high percentage threat.

Getting into the open floor and finishing, taking smaller defenders to the rim, and blowing by defenders inside the post, Williams is one of the SIAA’s more underrated prospects. The Class of 2018 small forward is bolstered by an awareness and innate feel for the around the rim game.

Rifen Miguel, West Oaks Academy

After a two month sabbatical from the game, Miguel has arrived with a massive body and a knack for exploiting mismatches in the post. While he’s still looking to shed weight and get lighter on his feet, Miguel has been a stable double digit scorer for guard-laden West Oaks, which gutted out a wild two-point victory over Mount Zion Christian (NC) to win the Bull City Classic in Durham, N.C. right before New Year’s.

At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, few bigs can front Miguel and push him out of the paint. A 27-point, 16-board effort during West Oaks win over Leesburg showed what the forward/center is capable of when he has the opportunity to feast on a thinner frontline. With a majority of West Oaks’ offensive output being manufactured by its gritty guard core (PJ Person, Tyrell Jones, Tyrieke Blakeney), Miguel is focusing on the quintessential tenets of an interior player: key rebounds, hustle points, and blocked shots.

Michael Durr, Victory Rock Academy

Defensively savvy 6-foot-11 Center has improved tremendously with his footwork and evolution as an offensive threat. Durr has become a more proficient scorer and also developed a dependable shot from 15-18 feet and beyond the arc. With his feathery touch and vastly improved interior game, expect the South Florida-signee to play a critical role in leading Victory Rock through a wide open SIAA post-season tournament.

Durr has also improved his awareness and ability to see the mismatch and take advantage of it. This has been a central component in his day-to-day progression as a go-to option.

Tino Sebalj, Arlington Country Day School

Standard stretch four is key in piloting ACD’s transition game. At 6-foot-8 and capable of freeing himself up for his shot and creating space, Sebalj has displayed the deadeye shooting capable of breaking a game open at times.

While he still needs to get more physical and more sturdy on the glass, the post-graduate brings a European guard skill-set capable of spreading the floor with efficiency at the ensuing level. Webber International has recently offered the hot-shooting Serbian.

Bretner Mutumbo, Potter’s House

The 6-foot-8 Class of 2021 forward is a workhorse down low, playing at the same Jacksonville area program that churned out Kansas forward Udoka Azubuike. While Mutumbo has natural finishing ability and soft hands down low, it is the fight in him that is most intriguing. He scores a good deal of hustle points and point blank buckets that he truly has to scrap for.

The 2018 Charger Classic tournament at Suncoast Community High School this weekend will be a significant test/barometer for the promising freshman. The event includes top-shelf teams such as University School and Westminster Academy.